12: 1 Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
12: 2 before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;
12: 3 in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the ¹⁰⁴grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened,
¹⁰⁴Or, grinding women or, teeth

12: 4 and the double gates shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
12: 5 yes, they shall be afraid ¹⁰⁵of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper ¹⁰⁶shall be a burden, and ¹⁰⁷desire shall ¹⁰⁸fail; because man goeth to his ¹⁰⁹lasting home, and the mourners go about the streets:
¹⁰⁵Or, of danger from on high,
¹⁰⁶Or, shall drag itself along,
¹⁰⁷Or, the caperberry
¹⁰⁸Or, burst;
¹⁰⁹Or, everlasting

12: 6 before the silver cord is ¹¹⁰loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,
¹¹⁰Or, snapped asunder,

12: 7 and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the ¹¹¹breath returneth unto God who gave it.
¹¹¹Or, spirit or, wind Hb. ruach

12: 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity.
12: 9 And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he ¹¹²pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
¹¹²Or, gave ear,

12: 10 The Preacher sought to find out ¹¹³acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.
¹¹³Hb. words of delight,

12: 11 The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are the word of the ¹¹⁴masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
¹¹⁴Or, collectors of sentences,

12: 12 ¹¹⁵And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
¹¹⁵Or, And as for more than these, my son, be warned:

12: 13 ¹¹⁶This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for ¹¹⁷this is the whole duty of man.
¹¹⁶Or, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
¹¹⁷Or, this is the duty of all men.

12: 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, ¹¹⁸with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
¹¹⁸Or, concerning